Read Snow Bound for Free Online

old.
    Shrugging back into his coat, he palmed his Maglite and charged through the door even before a borrowed hat stretched firmly over his head. There the momentum dissipated. The back porch was relatively protected, the push of the wind drawing snowflakes to rest on his boots. He stood in the silence, listening for anything other than the rush of air, anything human, while his mind replayed the kiss.
    The hottest kiss he’d ever experienced, and he wasn’t a monk by any stretch of the imagination. What the fuck?
    As he stood there, staring out at the swirling snow, the bitter wind creeping around the edges of his clothing, a dark sense of anticipation crept over him. He’d had similar feelings before missions that ended up going wrong. That same tingle worked its way down his spine, alerting him to danger ahead. He’d like to chalk it up to the unknown criminal entity possibly hiding in the woods at this very moment, but had a sneaking suspicion it had more to do with the seemingly innocent woman he’d left shocked and dazed in the warmth of the house.
    Damn it to hell. He shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t have kissed her. Shouldn’t have left her. Sure as hell shouldn’t be thinking about finishing what he’d started.
    S he wasn’t the type to indulge in casual sex. He’d hea rd nothing more than upstanding- citizen shit about her from the moment he’d picked the adjoining house. She wasn’t gossiped about because there wasn’t any dish. And if he used her and discarded her, right in his own backyard, he was a bastard for sure.
    Distracting himself with the task at hand, he stepped off the porch without turning on the flashlight. Falling into the silent steps he’d adopted during covert operations, he tracked the perimeter of the yard, going as far as the edge of the trees without catching sight n or sound of the intruder.
    Until he reached the far side of the house. Disturb ed snow had him pausing. H e hadn’t heard anything since he’d been outside, so he flicked on the flashlight without worry of anyone seeing. The snow at his feet held indentations the size of male shoes, slowly filling as the white stuff continued to fall.
    The trail led straight to the house, on the opposite side from Damon’s , and contained enough prints that it had probably been traveled several times. His heart rate picked up, speeding the blood through his numbing body. Hard- packed snow ended the track, right underneath the living room window.
    Shit.
    No way could he leave a woman alone with a stalker peeking in her windows. That meant staying the night. Hell, maybe several nights with his libido roaring full force. And he wasn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination.
    Him and Miss Priss were about to become a whole lot more than neighbors.
     
    * * *
    When Damon reentered the kitchen, he took the time to strip off his coat, gloves, hat, and boots. No sens e tracking snow inside . Not known for his subtlety, he stalked across the kitchen floor, pausing only long enough to blow out the candle on the butche r- block island.
    He breached the doorway to find Tori kneeling before the fireplace, now wrapped in a soft terrycloth robe. A glance at the window to the left assured him she couldn’t be seen from that window, although he’ d known that from his own peeka boo a few minutes before.
    “Let’s go to bed.”
    He’d meant the words to be stro ng and straightforward. Instead the ache in his gut echoed in his tone. She rose with fluid grace, despite the hands twisting together in the cream- colored material. He bet she had no idea that the firelight framed her golden hair or that the robe was thin enough to give him a shadowy glimpse of her figure beneath. His body kicked in its approval of his plan for tonight.
    “Wouldn’t it be warmer down here?” she asked. Her drawn brows clued him in to her confusion, which made total sense. He’d burst out of here like she had the plague, and now he was proposing they go